Never Letting Go
by Patientpaper
Summary: What would've happened if Rose never made that promise to Jack? If she never agreed to live a long and happy life without him? Would she do anything in her power to save him? Would she fight for both of them? Would she let the freezing water take her life


What would have happened if Rose had never made that promise to Jack? If she never agreed to live a long and happy life without him? Would she do anything in her power to save _him_? Or would she fight for the two of them? Or would she merely let the freezing water take over her body and die next to the man she loves?

I stared, wide-eyed, at the ocean bellow us as the boat got closer – too close – to sinking entirely. In merely seconds we would be sucked under the water and be fighting for our lives. In panic I looked over my left shoulder at Jack. Despite the inevitable terror, Jack looked incredibly calm.

"You know what you have to do, Rose?" he yelled over the noise of the frightened passengers and sinking ship, "You have to listen to me. The boat is going to suck us down but as soon as you touch the water you have kick – and _keep_ kicking, Rose. No matter what happens you must kick!"

I nodded, frightened. I was going to kick as if my life depended on it it. It did.

I looked down again; we were close. I took in a deep, shaky breath and grasped Jack's hand. It must have been very cold but the temperature matched mine so I didn't notice the difference. Despite the horror of what was about to happen I still felt a strange surge of comfort from holding his hand.

"One. Two. _Three!_" he yelled. I took a deep breath, I tried to take in as much oxygen as my lungs could hold but in my panic I don't think I got a sufficient supply.

The cold water hit me like a thousand knives. I thought I hand mentally, and physically, prepared myself for this eventuality but I hadn't. The coldness was such a shock to that I let out a small percentage of my already less-than-sufficient oxygen supply in a horrified gasp. I could taste the water; it was horribly salty.

The pressure of the boat dragging us down was incredible. I kicked and I kicked but I didn't seem to be getting far. I swam frantically trying to find Jack. I kicked harder when I realised I no longer held his hand and my own hand searched frantically for his. Nothing.

My air supply was running out fast. Luckily my head broke through the surface of the water just in time. My sudden gasp of air couldn't be heard over all of the terrified Titanic passengers around me, most of them, I realised, would die out here tonight. And if I didn't do something quickly, so would I.

I turned to try and find Jack but in my haste I crashed into a few other drowning people; I was suddenly very grateful for my life jacket.

Then I saw him. "Jack! Jack! Ja - " I started to scream, but suddenly my head was under the water again, the salty water flowing involuntarily down my throat. I tried to break the surface again but I realised that someone – some desperate person – was using my head to keep them afloat. As much as I wanted to help them I needed oxygen. Frantically I kicked and I pushed and shoved with all of my might but, unfortunately for me, I was a rich girl who traditionally stayed indoors. I was weak, and growing weaker by the second without oxygen.

I started to feel myself drift out of consciousness but, suddenly, I was breathing again. Jack! I realised. He must have helped me. I was very grateful as he dragged me to a large wooden cabinet door, floating lonely, only a few feet away from she drowning citizens.

Numbly, I climbed onto the chunky piece of wood, willing Jack to join me. Carefully, Jack tried to climb on too but his extra weight tipped it over.

"No, just you."

I could see that Jack was martyr; he a had a patriotic nature. Something that I often lacked. He was such a wonderful character.

"Promise me one thing, Rose" he said, he looked into my eyes. I could see he was very serious as he grabbed my hand, "Promise me that you'll never let go."

I looked down at our entwined hands. "Never" I agreed. He smiled a sheepish smile and shakily kissed out hands.

"Never," I whispered again to myself.

What seemed like days passed and still no boats came to rescue us. My entire body, although now dry, was numb from the icy water.

Something in the distance caught my attention. A faint whistle. Boats? I sat up, uncomfortable from the same position, and squinted into the darkness. Boats!

"Jack! Jack!" I tried to talk but my voice box had frozen over._ "Jack!" _I shook his hand, still linked to mine, and looked down at his pale white face, the only part of his body visible above the water.

Nothing.

The hope that I had felt briefly before was overwhelmed by a sudden wave of grief. Jack had died. Jack had died because of me, because I was too selfish to give up my 'boat'. If it was physically possible I would've cried but I couldn't get any tears out.

I remembered our promise. "I'll never let go," I said as I kissed his hand and climbed into the water next to him. "Never."

I stayed very still and waited for death to claim me. If I couldn't be in this life with Jack then I wouldn't. If heaven was the only place I could be where I could be with him then heaven is where I would go.

Carefully I turned my head for one last time and looked at Jack, never letting go ...


End file.
